Spicy Nugget: Content Marketing
“Whether you’re a small business owner or running a large corporation, organic content strategy is vital. Does it directly produce leads? Maybe. For the most part, content does NOT drive leads—it nurtures them.
-Adam A. Sene, CEO
Before you complain about how expensive or time consuming it is to maintain a social media presence or to have content written, consider this.
If you’re too laser-focused on the sales aspect of your business strategy, you’ll neglect to build a brand which will sustain the sales you’re trying to make. Having a strong website where relevant, high-quality content is housed is like having someone to answer the phone at your front desk.
If you run ads with a dated logo, a website built in 2008 and not even a little brand presence in the form of content to help nurture sales, it’s kind of the equivalent of having lunch lady Doris at your reception desk yelling at anyone who dare to call your business. You’ll just drive them away.
“I run ads, so no need for an organic content strategy, right?”
Wrong!
The Eden Ads blog isn’t called Spicy Nugget-ville for no reason. No kid gloves here, just marketing advice that cuts to the point. A well-developed organic content strategy is the stuff of which your brand is made, so let’s dive in.
What is Organic Content Marketing, and Who Cares?
In the world of digital marketing, the term “organic” just means it isn’t a sponsored (paid) advertisement of any kind. It may have cost you some money to create the graphic or have a writer create the blog or write the caption, but that’s beside the point.
Organic content is that which isn’t used in an ad campaign.
Good organic content strategy looks for opportunities to establish a voice, build trust, inspire confidence, share what amazing work you do and—best of all—to engage with your fans, followers and potential customers. If you aren’t posting organic content, you are in fact missing out on a vital building block of marketing.
The Purpose of Organic Content Strategy
If you aren’t creating organic content, you are further missing out on an opportunity to show your prospective customers how you’ll solve their problems.
The purpose of organic content, whether it’s a blog post, a simple social media caption or a billion dollar video is to:
- Pose a problem, situation or experience, and
- Position Brand ABC’s products or services as the solution to 1.
EXAMPLES:
- This dietician does a great job highlighting the types of diet pitfalls people experience and then poses her custom diet plans as a solution. Ultimately, people who are struggling with their diet and who end up on this website need her help with their diet plans, and she knows that and plans her content around it.
- Hubspot is somewhat known for covering topics surrounding digital marketing trends in their blog, and they’re pretty good at it. But it can be overwhelming, so many of their 29M visitors per month turn to them for the expertise they’re known for.
- Stitch Fix is a personal style box service that also has a blog with fashion and styling tips. But for those who are overwhelmed at the idea of personal styling and following fashion trends, that box full of clothes that arrives on your doorstep sounds mighty good.
Maybe you’ve noticed that when you’re reading a good article, a few things happen.
First, you become interested in the article because it genuinely grabs your attention with a problem or situation that hits home for you.
Next, you start into the article, voraciously looking for solutions. “Hmm… Some good information here.”
And by the end of the article you’re thinking, “You know what? I’ll just hire these guys to do it for me.” (Or, “I’ll buy their product. They seem to really know what they’re talking about.”)
Therein is the entire purpose of organic content marketing.
People Are Stalkers
Social media and the internet in general is beloved by many for the fact that it affords us the ability to creep around and look at people/product makers/brands, without those people/product makers/brands knowing we’re doing so. (Well, that’s not entirely true… but that’s another topic for another day.)
When a potential client or customer finds your brand through an ad or bumps into you on Google, they will mostly likely engage with you first by doing a little lurking.
If their first impression is that you haven’t written a blog since 2017 or your last social media post was 8 months ago (or that you don’t have these assets in place at all), they might be a little off-put.
Organic content is THE place where your brand voice is born. It’s also where brand positioning takes place. If you sell vitamins, for example:
- What type of customer do you want to attract?
- How is your product superior to those concrete vitamin tablets you can buy at Walgreens?
- How will you inspire your audience to become your customer for life?
These questions can be answered with organic content.
Content Marketing is Expensive
Well, kinda. You’ll get what you pay for. More importantly, how much does it cost you to NOT have organic content?
If your social feed is sparse or your blog is wildly outdated, the cost of not converting a lead once they arrive at your website or social media page is something you can’t afford—I guarantee it.
You can get thrifty by utilizing your staff to come up with some ideas for an organic content marketing strategy and you’ll save some money by doing this. But if you’re a business owner or a receptionist, you know how unworkable it can be to have the receptionist writing your blogs and doing social media posts for you.
Need help? We’re here for you. Our team of seasoned writers across all industries from science to lifestyle, personal care and medicine will write your web content, blog or even the next letter to your grandma. Connect with us online or give us a call at (813) 940-5699!
